When people think of the items that are essential to life, they think of food and drinks. In the Roman Republic, olive oil, bread, and wine were the dishes and drinks that were common among the people of Rome. Even though there were some similar dishes between the poor and the rich, their daily meals were very different and they consisted of a variety of simple and exotic dishes.
The Poor's Food
Because they did not have the materials that the rich had, the poor people of Rome were forced to eat foods that were grown in very dry places. (Carr) Called the “Mediterranean Triad”, their diet consisted of three main items: wheat and barley, olive oil, and wine.(Carr) These were important because they could be made into many other foods and drinks, such as beer, porridge, flatbread, soup, wine, vinegar, and raisins.(Carr) The emperor of Rome helped the poor by giving out food and the poor depended heavily on this, and the annual grain fleet that brought grain from Egypt. (Simon 26-27) Also, fruits were a large part of their diet because they were not difficult to grow. Of course, they ate meat because it supplied them with the energy that they needed to carry on their work, but they did not have a huge supply of it because it was mainly consumed by the rich people. (Carr)
Typical Roman Bakery
The Rich's Food
On the other hand, the rich people of Rome had a completely different selection of foods that they ate on an average day. Their day was much more structured and it included three distinct meals. The first meal of their day was breakfast and it was a very light meal that consisted of bread and water. The second meal of their day was slightly heavier and it usually consisted of some kind of meat, fruit, and a little bit of wine. This was the meal that gave them their energy to go through their day. The last meal of the day was dinner and it was the main meal of their day. Dinner usually consisted of a fine meat, fruit, fine wine and many little snacks like eggs, lettuce, and olives. Many times, if there is a party of some sort in the home of a rich person, they will serve a fancy sort of meat, like a pig that is stuffed with multiple different spices and meats. At these formal dinners, they would discuss “sophisticated” topics such as politics and literature. (Simon 26-27)
Roman Wine Glass
Wrapping it all up
It is quite obvious that the poor and rich people of Rome had a completely different selection of foods. The poor people liked the simple foods such as bread and olive oil, but the rich people enjoyed exotic foods like heavy meats and fine wines. This kind of division of the people does only exist in the Roman Republic, but in many different cultures. All of these foods are very common in our present lifestyle, but they became very popular during the Roman Republic.
Sources:
Carr, Karen. "Ancient and Mediecal Food." historyforkids.org. 04 Dec 2008. history for kids. 5 Dec 2008 <g>.
Introduction to Food in Rome
When people think of the items that are essential to life, they think of food and drinks. In the Roman Republic, olive oil, bread, and wine were the dishes and drinks that were common among the people of Rome. Even though there were some similar dishes between the poor and the rich, their daily meals were very different and they consisted of a variety of simple and exotic dishes.The Poor's Food
Because they did not have the materials that the rich had, the poor people of Rome were forced to eat foods that were grown in very dry places. (Carr) Called the “Mediterranean Triad”, their diet consisted of three main items: wheat and barley, olive oil, and wine.(Carr) These were important because they could be made into many other foods and drinks, such as beer, porridge, flatbread, soup, wine, vinegar, and raisins.(Carr) The emperor of Rome helped the poor by giving out food and the poor depended heavily on this, and the annual grain fleet that brought grain from Egypt. (Simon 26-27) Also, fruits were a large part of their diet because they were not difficult to grow. Of course, they ate meat because it supplied them with the energy that they needed to carry on their work, but they did not have a huge supply of it because it was mainly consumed by the rich people. (Carr)The Rich's Food
On the other hand, the rich people of Rome had a completely different selection of foods that they ate on an average day. Their day was much more structured and it included three distinct meals. The first meal of their day was breakfast and it was a very light meal that consisted of bread and water. The second meal of their day was slightly heavier and it usually consisted of some kind of meat, fruit, and a little bit of wine. This was the meal that gave them their energy to go through their day. The last meal of the day was dinner and it was the main meal of their day. Dinner usually consisted of a fine meat, fruit, fine wine and many little snacks like eggs, lettuce, and olives. Many times, if there is a party of some sort in the home of a rich person, they will serve a fancy sort of meat, like a pig that is stuffed with multiple different spices and meats. At these formal dinners, they would discuss “sophisticated” topics such as politics and literature. (Simon 26-27)Wrapping it all up
It is quite obvious that the poor and rich people of Rome had a completely different selection of foods. The poor people liked the simple foods such as bread and olive oil, but the rich people enjoyed exotic foods like heavy meats and fine wines. This kind of division of the people does only exist in the Roman Republic, but in many different cultures. All of these foods are very common in our present lifestyle, but they became very popular during the Roman Republic.Sources:
Carr, Karen. "Ancient and Mediecal Food." historyforkids.org. 04 Dec 2008. history for kids. 5 Dec 2008 <g>.
Carr, Karen. "Food for Rich Romans." historyforkids.org. 27 Feb 2007. History for Kids. 3 Dec 2008 <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/food/richfood.htm>.
Carr, Karen. "Roman Food." historyfodkids.org. 04 Dec 2008. history for kids. 5 Dec 2008 <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/food/romanfood.htm>.
James, Simon. Ancient Rome. New York, New York: Viking, 1992.